Sticky Toffee Banana Loaf

This week’s baking seems to all be brought on by the need to use up fruit! This time it was bananas, they were going cheap at the supermarket and we’d bought a bundle. I also had an open packet of broken walnuts to use up. A loaf seemed the obvious choice. We are still staying with our friends in Dundee, the snow just will not go away. I’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen, busying myself near the warm oven, this was certainly one of those days.

The loaf has a subtle banana flavour, not too strong and is studded with walnuts. Generously poured over the top is thick toffee sauce, of the kind you get with sticky toffee pudding, delicious! Bananas and Toffee are a match made in heaven. I kinda made the recipe up as I went along, adding things here and there. A little instinct goes a long way. The loaves turned out perfectly and the kitchen smelled amazing!

This recipe makes two 1lb loaves or a single 2lb loaf with a bit of extra batter to spare. I made two smaller loaves as they bake quicker, you could freeze one for later. I used dark muscovado sugar for my toffee sauce, which made it dark and decadent, hinting of treacle. If you prefer a lighter flavoured sauce use light brown or light muscovado sugar. The walnuts could be substituted with pecans.

Sticky Toffee Banana Loaf

two 1lb loaf tins, lined with parchment

oven 180 C / gas 4 / 350 F

175 g {1 & a half stick} soft unsalted butter

175 g {3/4 cup} light muscovado sugar, or light brown sugar

3 free-range eggs

1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

300 g {2 & a half cups} self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

100 ml {1/3 cup} plain, live yoghurt

100 g {3/4 cup} chopped walnuts

Begin by lightly toasting the chopped walnuts in a hot, dry frying pan until they just start to brown. Set aside to cool, reserve a quarter of them for decorating the cakes later.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with a food mixer or a wooden spoon, beating well.

Add the eggs, one at a time beating well between each one. Stir in the vanilla, the bananas and the cinnamon.

Combine the flour and the baking powder then sift over the batter. Begin to fold it in. Before it has fully come together add the yoghurt and the cooled walnuts then stir to a batter. Try not to over mix.

Fill the lined loaf tins with the batter, about three-quarters full. Bake for around 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. If you bake a 2lb loaf, bake it for longer.

Leave to cool in their tins.

Line the loaf tins with parchment

Toast the walnuts

Add the eggs to the creamed butter and sugar

Stir in the cinnamon and bananas

Stir in the yoghurt

Fill the tins with the batter

Sticky Toffee Sauce

75 g {3/5 stick} unsalted butter

120 g {heaped half cup} dark or light, muscovado or brown sugar

4 tbsp cream

Melt the butter and sugar together in a small pan, once the sugar has dissolved stir in the cream.

Allow the sauce to cool then stir in the reserved toasted walnuts. Remove the cakes from their tins and stand on a rack to catch any drips.

Pour and drizzle the toffee sauce over the cakes, allowing it to run decoratively down the sides. Now slice, share and enjoy xxx